Shepherd's Pie is a perfect family family-friendly dinner. The "meat & potatoes" style dinner fills the belly and the soul. This recipe is a perfect go-to that can be enjoyed by everyone!
Let's start by placing a deep pan or pot (I used my Dutch Oven) on high heat.
Add 2 tablespoon of Olive, or enough to coat the bottom of your pan, and then the ground beef, thyme, rosemary, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.
Once browned, add the diced onion, diced carrot, and garlic. Stir, and let cook for about 5 minutes.
Add your tomato paste, and stir again. Cook until the pot starts to get dry and you see some color forming on the bottom.
Deglaze with your red wine and beef stock. Stir, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Finish with Worcestershire sauce and taste. Add kosher salt & pepper as needed.
If your sauce is too thin, in a small bowl add cornstarch and water. Mix and add to your beef mixture.
Pour this mixture into an oven-proof baking dish.
Potato Mixture
Peel and dice your potatoes.
Add to a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a boil.
Once fork tender, drain and return to pot.
Add your egg yolks, parmesan, butter, salt, pepper, and mash until smooth.
Taste it! The potatoes are hot enough to make the egg yolks safe to eat. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Once the potatoes have slightly cooled, evenly spread the mixture over your beef filling. I use a pastry bag as I find it easier. A gallon size zip-lock with the corner cut off would also work.
Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan on top.
Final Oven Stage
Put this into a 350-degree oven for around 15-20 minutes or until cheese and potatoes have slightly browned.
Video
Notes
Fun Fact: A Shepherd's Pie authentically contains ground lamb. When you substitute with ground beef you are actually making a Cottage Pie. This recipe should be called Cottage Pie, but if it was... you may have never found it!Tip:
Use red wine you would want to actually drink. If you use bad red wine, you will be adding that flavor directly to your dish.
Use high-quality parmesan if you can. Not the shaker jar. I used a bag from the deli department of my local grocery store and it was roughly $8. I used ½ for this recipe which made it the 2nd most expensive ingredient!